Suspected militants on Wednesday shot dead a 25-year-old man in Pingleena village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Showkat Ahmad Naik was reportedly shot at by masked gunmen outside his home at Naik Mohalla in Pingleena village today afternoon, reported news gathering agency GNS. It said Naik was an army man.

He was immediately evacuated to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the report quoted a police officer as having said.

An army spokesman said he was a deserter and that he had never taken oath as soldier.

“Recruit Showkat Ahmed Naik Son of Mohd Yousuf Naik never took oath as a soldier. He was enrolled on 15 Jan 2018 in Territorial Army. He went to Army's Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) Regimental Center on 21 Mar 2018,” said the spokesman.

Naik, according to the spokesman, went on three days leave on 14 Sep 18 and he never returned. “He was declared deserter on 17 September 2018,” he said.